Thoughts so far on Volchenkov, Tallinder, and Hedberg

[grcenter47]

So far I am happy with what the Devils have done in day 1 of free agency. They definitely addressed their needs at defense and I really like Volchenkov as a tough as nails player. I also think Tallinder can be a good leader in the locker room. I think Hedberg can give Brodeur some rest but I see that as unlikely with Brodeur carrying the majority of the workload

My thoughts on Kovy... i still think Lou can pull something off. I cant imagine him going to Toronto especially since their team isn't too strong. LA is a possibility but is Kovy looking for a chance to win or for more money? I have my confidence in Lou and hopefully I wont have to get rid of my Reebok Devils Kovalchuk t-shirt..haha

[msweet]

Didn't need Tallinder unless we move Slavador and Corrente

Volchenkov is the best deal of the day

Hedberg is great, since it means we have a golie that can play 20-25 games for sure and will considering his salary

[jagknife]

kovy wants a winner/contender

toronto is a franchise in turmoil, regardless of their current moves, they have a long way to go

i think its us or LA

[Devils Dose]

Shouldn't we catch our breath first?

[grcenter47]

I can't wait to hear the MOOOOOOOOSE chants at the ROCK

[sundstrom]

sorry - i'm not buying it. as we sit right now, the devils are worse today than they were when they lost to the flyers.

lou is preaching that "now we're tougher to play". that's sh!t - that's not how you win in the NHL anymore with bruisers who can hit on the backline and do little else. good players avoid these guys and skate away from them - hell zharkov does that (he just can't finish).

kovalchuk, should he be re-signed and put the devils in salary cap hell, is a flashy toy that doesn't address the fact that NOBODY outside of andy greene(!) can move the puck in any fashion from the back end.

trust me - we're going to have a lot of conversations about how we don't score any goals and people will wonder why with guys like parise, zajac, elias, arnott, et al that we can't get goals. it'll be because there's absolutely no transition from the backend.

lou doesn't get it.

[Elias26]

So far so good. I hope Lou can still cut off some dead weight somehow.

[Devils731]

kovalchuk, should he be re-signed and put the devils in salary cap hell, is a flashy toy that doesn't address the fact that NOBODY outside of andy greene(!) can move the puck in any fashion from the back end.

Urbom, Taormina, Eckford? They're all more dynamic offensively than anyone they're replacing other than Martin. Heck, Corrente may be a better puck mover than some as well.

[Marshall]

sorry - i'm not buying it. as we sit right now, the devils are worse today than they were when they lost to the flyers.

lou is preaching that "now we're tougher to play". that's sh!t - that's not how you win in the NHL anymore with bruisers who can hit on the backline and do little else. good players avoid these guys and skate away from them - hell zharkov does that (he just can't finish).

kovalchuk, should he be re-signed and put the devils in salary cap hell, is a flashy toy that doesn't address the fact that NOBODY outside of andy greene(!) can move the puck in any fashion from the back end.

trust me - we're going to have a lot of conversations about how we don't score any goals and people will wonder why with guys like parise, zajac, elias, arnott, et al that we can't get goals. it'll be because there's absolutely no transition from the backend.

lou doesn't get it.

I'm just trying to ignore the facts above and continue to spend my summer in ignorant bliss.

[Neb00rs]

I can't wait to hear the MOOOOOOOOSE chants at the ROCK

If he gets on the ice that is...

[Sickman]

trust me - we're going to have a lot of conversations about how we don't score any goals and people will wonder why with guys like parise, zajac, elias, arnott, et al that we can't get goals. it'll be because there's absolutely no transition from the backend.

lou doesn't get it.

So which direction should lou have gone in today? Who else was out there? Martin? Gonchar? Martin had 6 years to blossom on the offensive end and it just never came to be (Plus he is a bitter bitch but that is besides the point) Was our transition game great with him all these past seasons? Forget Gonchar, that contract is nuts. Who else was there to go after?

Lou said some things take more time then others. That has to apply to the D. It needs to be overturned but it doesn't happen in one night. He brought in some soild players today and you have to expect (or hope) that some older faces will depart in time. They also seem to be pretty high on some of the youngsters as well. Maybe the kids help close the gap.

There is still a lot of work to be done but one step at a time. In the very least we will have a good defense to keep the team competetive and we'll just wait for better options when they come along. I can't see what we currently have being Lou's final vision of what the D should like. If anything, reading his quots makes me think he is really sick and tired of the lack of success and he wants to do something about it.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Sickman

[Neb00rs]

So which direction should lou have gone in today? Who else was out there? Martin? Gonchar? Martin had 6 years to blossom on the offensive end and it just never came to be (Plus he is a bitter bitch but that is besides the point) Was our transition game great with him all these past seasons? Forget Gonchar, that contract is nuts. Who else was there to go after?

Lou said some things take more time then others. That has to apply to the D. It needs to be overturned but it doesn't happen in one night. He brought in some soild players today and you have to expect (or hope) that some older faces will depart in time. They also seem to be pretty high on some of the youngsters as well. Maybe the kids help close the gap.

There is still a lot of work to be done but one step at a time. In the very least we will have a good defense to keep the team competetive and we'll just wait for better options when they come along. I can't see what we currently have being Lou's final vision of what the D should like. If anything, reading his quots makes me think he is really sick and tired of the lack of success and he wants to do something about it.

Well done sir, well done.

[msweet]

So which direction should lou have gone in today? Who else was out there? Martin? Gonchar? Martin had 6 years to blossom on the offensive end and it just never came to be (Plus he is a bitter bitch but that is besides the point) Was our transition game great with him all these past seasons? Forget Gonchar, that contract is nuts. Who else was there to go after?

Lou said some things take more time then others. That has to apply to the D. It needs to be overturned but it doesn't happen in one night. He brought in some soild players today and you have to expect (or hope) that some older faces will depart in time. They also seem to be pretty high on some of the youngsters as well. Maybe the kids help close the gap.

There is still a lot of work to be done but one step at a time. In the very least we will have a good defense to keep the team competetive and we'll just wait for better options when they come along. I can't see what we currently have being Lou's final vision of what the D should like. If anything, reading his quots makes me think he is really sick and tired of the lack of success and he wants to do something about it.

close to being the "POD"

[grcenter47]

i am happy they focused on defense. I still get nightmares of that year when the devils brought in McGillis, an "old" Mogilny, and Malakhov

[RizzMB30]

Like it or not, Volchenkov can hit and that's something that adds to our blue line. Volchenkov will bring the hits, and Tallinder is solid enough to replace Mottau. And let's not forget, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT LOU DOES, there will always be people who enjoy b*tching at whatever Lou does. I'm very happy to see Volchenkov here, first and foremost, I always love to see hitters at their craft in the game. I've seen Volchenkov level some people and that's what the Devils need on D. Anyone who can hit, I would welcome willingly to the Devils. Watching Martin jump on the Penguins bandwagon is sad, but it gives the Penguins what they lost in Gonchar. I think Lou believes that Andy Greene can step and be that puck-moving defensemen that we want in Martin, so I'm not too sad about seeing Martin go after 6 seasons. I have faith in Greenie.

Volchenkov's hits

[Neb00rs]

close to being the "POD"

Def POD material.

[adavid]

I can't wait till October.

[Mitico12]

sorry - i'm not buying it. as we sit right now, the devils are worse today than they were when they lost to the flyers.

lou is preaching that "now we're tougher to play". that's sh!t - that's not how you win in the NHL anymore with bruisers who can hit on the backline and do little else. good players avoid these guys and skate away from them - hell zharkov does that (he just can't finish).

kovalchuk, should he be re-signed and put the devils in salary cap hell, is a flashy toy that doesn't address the fact that NOBODY outside of andy greene(!) can move the puck in any fashion from the back end.

trust me - we're going to have a lot of conversations about how we don't score any goals and people will wonder why with guys like parise, zajac, elias, arnott, et al that we can't get goals. it'll be because there's absolutely no transition from the backend.

lou doesn't get it.

Good point. Both Zajac and Arnott certainly don't carry the puck end-to-end and "make something from nothing." That was our problem last year. Kovy does that, but is very "one-way" in his movements, and doesn't have the players to compliment his vision or direction. The only guys that can truly "see the ice" like Kovy are Elias and, to some extent, Zubrus, although their legs aren't up to speed.

Sad to say that our best "visioneers" were Gomez, Niedermayer, and Rafalski, who not only moved the puck well, but crossed the opposing blue line with ease.

Who's the answer? Jason Spezza? Vinny LeCavalier? Bring back Gomer? Is Josefsson ready to step up and play that role?

We definitely needed toughness "ala Chris Pronger" on our team, and that gets addressed with Volchenkov.

I'm not so certain up front with our forwards...especially if they're constantly being played out of position (Elias, Zubrus, Roslton)

Hedberg? Good acqusition if the intention is to keep Marty on his heels. He played well for Pittsburgh back in the day, and can be solid for us down the stretch. If it was also an "ancillary move" to entice Kovy to NJ, then I'm all for it.

Honestly, we were fine with Danis, so for Louie Lams to sign Hedberg for 3X the salary of Danis, it means that Kovy may be in the fold, as I think Danis could have easily handled 20 games or so, and is close to Marty Brodeur to boot.

One thing's for certain...I didn't like our leadership, and Langenbrunner's bitch session at the end of the season didn't sit with well with me...can he or Rolli be on the block? That's what I'm more interested in seeing as the next few weeks unfold...

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

lou doesn't get it.

Put me in this camp at the moment.

But,

I don't think the D is finished. I'm still waiting to go apesh!t. I have to think the guy who brought in players like Niedermayer, Greene, Rafalski, Oduya, Martin etc, isn't so short sighted as to completely ignore puck movement from the back end. This D is uncharacteristic even for the Devils, a "defensive" team. Lou can't be done I believe.

But if I'm wrong and this is the final defense...

[Elias26]

We are moving in the right direction and it all started with Oats. Usually I disagree with at least one or two of his off season moves but right now Lou is on a hot streak.

[robdeselich88]

... with these two moves, we still have a good cap situation versus the other clubs in our divison ( - islanders). We are not done, and we are looking balanced. My favorite signing is def pelley, i really like him very much a gritty player.

[sundstrom]

So which direction should lou have gone in today? Who else was out there? Martin? Gonchar? Martin had 6 years to blossom on the offensive end and it just never came to be (Plus he is a bitter bitch but that is besides the point) Was our transition game great with him all these past seasons? Forget Gonchar, that contract is nuts. Who else was there to go after?

Lou said some things take more time then others. That has to apply to the D. It needs to be overturned but it doesn't happen in one night. He brought in some soild players today and you have to expect (or hope) that some older faces will depart in time. They also seem to be pretty high on some of the youngsters as well. Maybe the kids help close the gap.

There is still a lot of work to be done but one step at a time. In the very least we will have a good defense to keep the team competetive and we'll just wait for better options when they come along. I can't see what we currently have being Lou's final vision of what the D should like. If anything, reading his quots makes me think he is really sick and tired of the lack of success and he wants to do something about it.

i want to answer this more fully, but don't have the time now. i am totally fine w/ either tallinder or volchenkhov (not totally sold on tallinder but can be talked into it) but not BOTH. a defense stacked with these kinds of players is the columbus blue jackets. who will skate the puck up? please don't talk about taormira and eckford. if they are 1/2 of andy greene 2.0, i'll eat my hat.

[Neb00rs]

... with these two moves, we still have a good cap situation versus the other clubs in our divison ( - islanders). We are not done, and we are looking balanced. My favorite signing is def pelley, i really like him very much a gritty player.

Good for u. Nice to hear someone happy to have Pelley back like myself.

[CaptainScotty]

Volchenkov - awesome. Needed a guy to hit and block back on d, sort of like a better version of Dano. If he can bring the right attitude in too, all the better.

Tallinder? - Isnt this guy a buffalo d guy on the bubble? How is he better than mottau? he did play with some high-flying buffalo guys, so maybe his transition game is better

Hedberg? - I agree that danis was enough, and I dont think hedberg brings much else to the table other than some playoff experience. eh, another year, another backup...

Going back further...

Arnott? - oh dear..., another player on the downside. Maybe he'll revitalize himself like Thomas, or even Recchi.

I think if anything, this is yet another signal to the kids in Lowell/Albany to get your ass in gear, there are spots. A lot of this is going to come down to coaching too...

[SatansDevils]

Urbom, Taormina, Eckford? They're all more dynamic offensively than anyone they're replacing other than Martin. Heck, Corrente may be a better puck mover than some as well.

I agree. The Devils are not losing all that much with Martin. What has Martin really done for this team the last several seasons? Not much. I think Corrente is a good puck moving defenseman and he will get the oppurtuntiy this season to prove that. Eckford, Taormina and Urbom have potential as well and it could be Eckford making this team as well. I like the futre and the youth movement. Greene, White and Salvador should be the only three defenseman left from last years starting roster. Plus Fraser down at Albany.